


Was This Your Card?

by aerobesk



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Famous Magician Au, Harrison is smooth, M/M, there's swearing but i feel like if you're reading for camp camp you should be aware of that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 20:30:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15323691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerobesk/pseuds/aerobesk
Summary: Neil glanced from the man’s grinning face down to the card in his hand, and then back up to meet his twinkling eyes. Why he had allowed himself to be dragged to a magic show was beyond him, but he was even more unsure as to why he let himself be stopped in the hallway by the man of the hour himself. Maybe he had just given up on his life being normal at this point.





	Was This Your Card?

**Author's Note:**

> So this was inspired by the first image in this set * http://sakisketches.tumblr.com/post/154796900938 * and I fucking loved the idea and ran with it.

“Was this your card?”

Neil glanced from the man’s grinning face down to the card in his hand, and then back up to meet his twinkling eyes. Why he had allowed himself to be dragged to a magic show was beyond him, but he was even more unsure as to why he let himself be stopped in the hallway by the man of the hour himself. Maybe he had just given up on his life being normal at this point.

“What?”

The stranger simply grinned wider, and with a flick of his wrist made the playing card disappear.

“The name is Golden Boy, but you can call me…” he paused, winking at Neil dramatically. “Anytime.”

Neil blinked once, twice, three times before he could come up with a response.

“What?!”

The magician chuckled at him, reaching out to gently boop his nose, causing his cheeks to redden further. He then turned on his heel, walking back towards the stage area.

“Really though, cutie, you should call me!”

Neil spluttered for a second. 

“You took the damn card back!”

He paused. He had meant to say “In your dreams, you caped loser,” but somehow the words got mixed up in his head.

The other boy laughed, not even stopping as he called over his shoulder. “Check your back pocket, silly!”

Neil’s hand instantly flew to the back of his jeans, checking first the left pocket, then the right. As he reached his hand into his right pocket he felt something thin and plastic, and with wide eyes he pulled out a playing card. He slowly flipped it over to reveal the king of hearts with a number scrawled on it in sharpie, signed with a small GB and a heart at the bottom. He turned it over again, realizing that it was indeed the card that the magician had been holding out to him only a minute prior. Not only that, but it was also the card Neil had picked out of the deck when the other boy had first approached him.

He looked up, opening his mouth to yell after the magician before realizing that he was gone. He shook his head, spending a second pondering how the man had practically disappeared before deciding that his head already hurt enough trying to process the rest of what had just happened.

He flipped the card around again, staring at the signature as a small, subconscious smile grew on his face. He shook his head slightly, slipping the card back into his pocket (despite his better judgment,) before turning around and jogging towards the door that Max and Nikki had disappeared through.

\------

Harrison held his breath as he watched Neil from around the corner of the alcove he had ducked into the moment the other boy had looked down and felt for his back pockets. He was worried that the other would freak out, or even worse, simply throw the card away and move on with his life. As much as he didn’t want that, he couldn’t deny that it was the most probable result.

He flinched a little, ducking back as Neil stopped staring at the card to look for him. He counted to ten in his head before peeking out again, relieved to see that he had given up and was now just pondering what to do. Harrison felt his breath hitch as he watched a small,  _ adorable  _ smile make an appearance on Neil’s face before the other shook his head, gently placing the card back into his pocket (and not a trash can, like Harrison had half expected,) and turned to run after his friends.

The magician finally let go of the now painful air in his lungs, turning to press his back into the wall before relenting and simply sliding to the floor. The amount of courage it had taken to actually talk to the other boy had been astounding to him, though he had to admit it had been worth it. He leaned back against the wall and giddily ran the past few minutes back in his head.

**\--**

_ When he had first spotted Neil he hadn’t thought much of him, only singling him out because he was the only person in the audience whose expression wasn’t a mix of apprehension and awe. The only things Neil’s face held were a scowl and an air of disdain, and despite his better judgment, Harrison felt it almost a challenge to break the other man’s disbelief. _

_ He wasn’t able to in the first half of the show, but considering he was planning on saving the best for last he knew that there was still a chance. As he was walking to the bathroom however he caught sight of the boy and his friends heading out of the auditorium towards the reception area. He stopped, taking a step back into an alcove to eavesdrop for a moment. _

_ “Can you guys believe that?! He just made fire come out of his hands! Why can’t I learn to do that…” the green haired girl chattered happily, and Harrison grinned at her enthusiasm. It was always nice to feel like his tricks were appreciated. _

_ “Oh come on Nikki, it was obviously just an illusion. He must have had flamethrowers in his gloves or something.” _

_ The shorter boy chuckled and chimed in. “Oh really Neil? Well then how do you explain the rabbit coming out of the hat?” _

_ “False bottom,” the taller man said snarkily, and Harrison was starting to feel his desire to convince him grow stronger. “Look guys, I’m a scientist. And by all of the laws of… everything, there’s no way for magic to exist. It’s obviously just a bunch of tricks and illusions, and they aren’t real no matter how well they’re performed.” _

_ Harrison smiled a bit at that. This ‘Neil’ may not believe in magic, but he did admit that the act was good regardless. They passed the spot where Harrison was standing, not noticing the boy hiding in the shadows. _

_ “So you’re still enjoying the show?” the girl asked, bouncing giddily ahead of the others. _

_ The dark haired boy rolled his eyes. “He’ll be enjoying it more once he can actually prove that it’s all fake. For right now he’s just stumped.” _

_ Neil shook his head. “Yeah, whatever. Look, I’m going to the bathroom; I’ll come meet you guys in a second.” _

_ His friends wandered off as he turned around, heading back down the hall towards the bathrooms. As he passed a set of doors he heard a sound behind him, almost like coins hitting the floor. He spun quickly, looking for someone following him before shrugging, figuring it was just his imagination. He turned again to continue on his way, only to be stopped by the sight of a grinning face standing directly in front of him. _

_ “Jesus fucking christ!” he screamed, and he was almost surprised that his friends didn’t hear him even over the din of people in the front room. He reeled back, flailing his arms for a second before they settled protectively in front of his face. Finally he was able to focus on the figure, coming eye to eye with a top hat and a cheshire grin. _

_ “So, how are you enjoying the show?” Harrison asked, trying to hold back his laughter at Neil’s reaction. _

_ “What the fuck?!” Neil yelled, still confused as to how the magician had appeared out of nowhere. _

_ “You seem to be somewhat impressed, despite the disbelief,” the man continued. _

_ “What- You- Were you following us?!” _

_ Harrison shrugged. “Just heading in the same direction.” _

_ “Still creepy, pal. And for your information, no I don’t believe in magic, and no, I don’t think your show is all that impressive.” Neil crossed his arms defiantly after his final statement, huffing as the magician’s eyes narrowed slightly and his grin faded into more of a smirk. _

_ “You don’t like my tricks?” _

_ “No, I don’t. Honestly they’re underwhelming.” _

_ Now the grin completely fell from Harrison’s face. “Well, you see, the tricks on the stage are meant to dazzle a crowd. My greatest tricks,” he said, leaning forward a little into Neil’s personal space, “are best performed… one on one.” His grin was back as he watched Neil’s face redden a little at the proximity. Hey, at least he was getting to the guy. _

_ “Oh really? And what kind of lame tricks would those be?” Neil asked, unable to formulate a better answer as he was distracted by the honey eyes boring into his own and the scent of smoke that still clung to the shorter man. _

_ “Well, my little scientist, I’m glad you asked. If you would allow me, I could show you my greatest trick of all!” _

_ Neil rolled his eyes. “You know what? Go for it.” _

_ He tried to focus on the shorter man again but there was suddenly a fanned out deck of cards in his face. He blinked at it, taking a step back to uncross his eyes. _

_ “Pick a card.” _

_ He leaned down a little to lock eyes with the boy. “Are you serious?” _

_ At the slow nod he sighed, staring at the deck for a second before lazily pulling out the one on the far left. He watched as the magician then folded the deck back together, shuffling it with a dramatic ease. _

_ “Ok, now what?” Neil said, getting a little impatient. _

_ “Now, I take that back,” he said, holding out the deck to allow Neil to slide the card back in, but instead he simply held it closer to himself. _

_ “I don’t think so. See, I know how this works. How do I know you don’t have a card in your sleeve?”  _

_ Harrison raised an eyebrow at him and slowly pulled the deck back. “Alright then,” he said, setting the deck on the decorative table next to them before rolling up his sleeves, folding them over the elbows before locking eyes with Neil as he slid off his gloves. Neil tried not to let the heat show on his face, but damn, why did the man have to look so seductive when stripping off his  _ fucking gloves?!  _ He was also trying very hard to keep his eyes off of the man’s forearms as he reached out to pick up the deck again with his now bare hands. _

_ “Better?” he asked, the smile widening on his face as he caught sight of the red on Neil’s cheeks. _

_ “Sure, whatever,” Neil mumbled as he slid the card back into the offered deck. Harrison started shuffling it, his confidence doubling tenfold as he did so. He always felt best when he was doing magic; it was the one thing that he for sure could say he was good at. And damn was he good. He watched Neil’s eyes focus on his hands, squinting a little as he tried to catch a pattern. _

_ Finally Harrison stopped, the scientist’s eyes detaching themselves from the deck to make eye contact again. “Ok, now what?” _

_ “Now…” Harrison said, holding the full deck up in his right hand, tucking his left arm behind his back. “I do this.” _

_ He moved his wrist in a fluid motion, and Neil blinked as he realized that somehow half of the deck had gone missing in that moment. He shook his head a little, tilting side to side as he tried to see behind the man’s hand. The magician chuckled, rotating his wrist to show Neil that there were no cards behind it. The cards were well and truly gone. Neil narrowed his eyes at him. _

_ “Ok, big deal. You still haven’t found my card.” _

_ Harrison smiled sweetly at him before repeating the hand motion, and Neil gasped (much to his chagrin,) as half of the remaining cards disappeared. Not waiting this time Harrison did it again, leaving just a few cards remaining. With one final flick of his wrist there was only one card left, the face pressed into his palm. _

_ Neil looked up to see a satisfied grin on the man’s face and promptly snapped his jaw shut, which had slightly dropped open in astonishment. _

_ “So tell me, my little scientist…” _

_ The magician held the card out face up between two fingers, winking again. _

_ “Was this your card?” _

**\--**

Harrison felt a giddy smile light up his face at the memory before he shook his head violently, trying to get himself back into the right mindset. He still had a show to finish after all! 

He was still smiling when he got back to the stage though, and had to answer the stage hand’s question with a short “Just excited for the rest of the show!”

He took a deep breath, settling his ever present nerves a little before he took a step out into the stage lights, waving at the applauding crowd and trying not to let his eyes drift to the right side of the auditorium.

\------

By the time Neil and the others made it back into the hall the lights were already dimming for the second part of the show. Neil hadn’t mention to Max or Nikki about what had transpired with the magician in the hallway. He didn’t need them holding that over his head.

They took their seats again, listening to the crowd around them clap respectfully as the magician took the stage. Neil’s opinion of him had changed drastically since the first half of the show. Before he had simply rolled his eyes at the cape and top hat that looked like a bad Halloween costume and his over exaggerated gestures that’s stupidity was rivaled only by the underwhelming tricks he performed. Now he knew that on top of all of that the other man was a shameless flirt with an adorable nose to match his adorable accent.

The room quieted as the man took center stage and just like that the show resumed. It seemed that he had been holding back in the first act; as soon as he looked up Neil could feel the energy in the room shift. He watched in begrudging astonishment as the Golden Boy seemed to defy every scientific law Neil had ever studied. And the worst part was:  _ he couldn’t figure out how.  _ Sometimes when you watch a magician you can figure out their tricks; magnets, strings in sleeves, flamethrowers hidden behind white gloves. But there were some things happening on the stage that Neil just couldn’t pinpoint a flaw in. As far as he could tell, the man seemed to actually have magic, and Neil felt himself grow enraged.

“That isn’t possible!” he let out loudly over the applause surrounding them as he successfully turned a fully sized bird cage into two. The woman in front of him turned around to glare at him but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He heard a snicker from beside him and caught Max’s eye.

“Upset?”

“No! Of course not.”

“Can’t figure it out?”

“I’m working on it!”

They quieted again as the woman in front of them angrily shushed them. Neil watched the end of the show sharply, trying to find any snag in the illusion, but the magician was very skilled at what he did; he couldn’t find a single wire, a single fog machine, not even a projector.

By the time the crowd gave its last ovation Neil had a headache again, only this time it was from eye strain. The Golden Boy had performed seamlessly! He stood with the rest of the audience, clapping slowly as he ran the previous hour over in his mind. He was only snapped out of it when he looked up, eyes locking with the brunette on the stage. The man on stage grinned at him, winking once before dipping into a deep bow. Neil chuckled, watching as he straightened up again, eyes still locked on the scientist. He watched a flush rise on the magicians cheeks seconds before the man gave a last wave and walked off the stage.

As the three of them were leaving the auditorium Neil dropped back, letting Max listen to Nikki’s excited chatter. He carefully pulled the card out of his back pocket, his eyes drifting over the number again before he sighed and pulled out his phone. His brain wouldn’t be quiet, and he knew there was only one thing that could shut it up.

\------

Harrison took his final bow, eyes flying back to Neil’s seat one more time to catch the other’s eye before he walked off stage. He froze for a moment as he caught sight of Neil’s smile, knowing full well that the other man didn’t know he was doing it, let alone what it was doing to Harrison. He blinked, shaking himself out of his thoughts and turning to walk off stage, hoping that the redness of his face could be perceived as a flush of excitement.

He talked to a few people behind the stage who had been waiting for him; some fans that wanted autographs, others aspiring magicians who wanted advice. Finally he was able to slip away, ducking behind the curtain into the small room the theatre used as a dressing room. He sighed, sitting down and sinking into the chair, leaning his head back and closing his eyes as he tried to wind down from the performance.

He got three seconds of rest before he heard his phone buzz on the desk. He groaned as he dragged himself upright, not ready to discuss anything with his manager just yet. Opening the screen, he scanned over the foreign number for a second before reading the text.

_ *Great show, loser. Though, I think your card tricks are more impressive.* _

Harrison blinked at the screen for a moment as he felt heat crawl up his neck. It couldn’t be… could it? He took a moment to think about his response.

_ *Why thank you, kind stranger. I have quite a few of those, if you ever wanted to see more.* _

It was kind of a lame answer but hey, he was tired and flustered; he couldn’t be expected to do much better! He waited apprehensively for the next message, fumbling with his phone the moment it vibrated.

_ *I might just have to take you up on that. I never give up an opportunity to prove someone’s a fake.* _

Harrison let out a chuckle at that. He couldn’t figure out what it was about Neil that enchanted him. Maybe it was the thrill of a challenge. Maybe the satisfaction of watching the man’s big brain break. Or maybe it was just the curiosity shining in his fountain blue eyes. He grimaced at that last thought.  _ ‘God, that was cheesy.’  _ Whatever it was though, he knew he couldn’t pass this up.

_ *Well then, my little scientist; it’s a date.* _

\------

Neil blinked at the message while trying to stop the heat spreading over his cheekbones. This was not going to be a date! This was just an opportunity to figure out how the magician had broken his brain with those damn tricks (not that Neil would ever admit to being stumped.) He was just trying to satisfy his own curiosity; that was all.

_ ‘Though, I wonder how long I can sit there and listen to that accent without wanting it to be a date…’ _ he thought, his eyes widening as he realized that it probably wouldn’t take long.  _ ‘Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all…’ _

He stopped and glanced back at the theatre, not even registering Max yelling at him to hurry up and get in the car. He thought about it for a moment before he sighed, throwing his pride to the wind as he typed out his reply.

_ *Can’t wait.* _


End file.
